Polishing small defects in the painted surfaces of automotive and other vehicles is a critical operation. Often vehicle surfaces are compromised during the painting process, and cars with visible scratches are not acceptable. There is no exact science to achieving an acceptable result other than providing a skilled operator with an air polisher and a pad. Polish is applied to the pad, the trigger is depressed, and after a few seconds the scratches usually go away.
Regardless of the system used, new paint system chemistry is making vehicle surface polishing much more difficult. In particular, new paint is harder and it takes longer to remove the defects. If more aggressive procedures are used the process can “go too far” and remove too much of the painted surface.
There are many important variables associated with polishing operations, none of which are computer monitored. Instead, lighting, applied pressure, and time of operation are left up to operator judgment, which can lead to human error.